is it bad too charge before fully dead?

[anthonyiro]

Hey guys i was just wondering does it hurt your batterys life if you put it in the charger if it already has half charge to fully charge it? or is it better to wait till its not firing anymore? it is with a regulated mod so when i say not firing anymore i dont mean completely dead also if it matters at all its an 18650 samsung battery

 

[Fuzzy Bruce]

I try to charge my batteries when they get to 3.8+/- volts. I use mech mods, Reos, and this is about where I notice a change in flavor. Not sure when those regulated mods stop firing but have read here that your batteries life will be increased by NOT letting them become fully discharged.

 

[ElConquistador]

I read that it is fine. Hasn't hurt mine.

 

[AndriaD]

It's far better to not ever let them to the point of not firing anymore. Most of my regulated devices tell me "lo bat" somewhere between 3.6-3.2v, but I sometimes go ahead and charge when they're at 3.7-3.8. I've even charged when it's at 4.0, if I know I'm going to need a fresh battery later the same day, so I want to go on and get it charged so it can rest a while before I need it.

Andria

 

[Marc411]

Most will say that you get longer life if you don't let the battery drain all the way. I'm not expert so I'm not sure. Mine normally hit the charger between 2.5 and 2.8.

 

[anthonyiro]

ok thanks guys
EDIT: and gals

 

[ElConquistador]

I would never let mine drop below 3.2 or 3.3 volts. On my mech I recharge at 3.8 or so.

 

[Ryedan]

From Battery University: How to Prolong Lithium-based Batteries.

I've seen nothing that makes me think this is not accurate. Having said that, keep in mind that if you keep your batteries at 100% charge all the time is not good either.

 

[cinetrope]

Conventional wisdom from outside the vaping community has long maintained that IMR batteries, which have no memory effect, will achieve the maximum number of charge/discharge cycles if they are discharged from 4.2 volts to 3.6 volts, then recharged. Other practices which will maximize their lifespans are to store them in a partially discharged state, (also 3.6 volts) and to only charge them a short time before usage. If a battery is rated for 300 cycles, a partial cycle only counts for that percentage of a full cycle, i.e. two 50% charge/discharges counts as one full charge/discharge. Your battery usage practices are not only safe, but will extend the life span of your batteries. (Fully discharged for the purpose of comparison is considered to be 3.2 volts)

 

[Thrasher]

Lithium-ion suffers from stress when exposed to heat, so does keeping a cell at a high charge voltage. A battery dwelling above 30°C (86°F) is considered elevated temperature and for most Li-ion, a voltage above 4.10V/cell is deemed as high voltage. Exposing the battery to high temperature and dwelling in a full state-of-charge for an extended time can be more stressful than cycling.

I regularly run into the 3.4 - 3-2 range on some devices, never seen a problem, most batteries are considered dead at 2.5-2.7

I have some Panasonic's here going on 2 years that hold a charge fine still.
Charging at 3.8 means the battery never even got to run at the power draw it was designed for. And may actually do more harm then good (,refer to quote)

Things overlooked:
The diff chemestries have different cycle counts to get to end of life, one might be 300 another might be 700.
Also for as long as the batter will last giving even the minimum cycle count 3-4 batteries in rotation with a 300 cycle count is still a really long time for the prices we pay.

 

[93gc40]

My kick shuts off at 3.2 volts, so I try to charge at 3.5-3.6 volts. Currently running 5 batts in rotation (2 18650 and 3 18500), using 1-3 batts per day. Why 2 sizes, Like run time of the 650 and size of the 500.

 

[Thrasher]

My kick shuts off at 3.2 volts, so I try to charge at 3.5-3.6 volts. Currently running 5 batts in rotation (2 18650 and 3 18500), using 1-3 batts per day. Why 2 sizes, Like run time of the 650 and size of the 500.

I hear ya, I understand what people are doing but getting almost a year for 7 bucks, I quit worrying about it and just let the battery do its thing the way it was intended,

big deal so you manage to squeeze a couple more months out if your lucky. Probably be something better to buy next year anyways
Think about it 2 years ago aw was king. There were no Sony, or Samsung
Then sanyo popped up with the sx30 about a year and half ago. Then lg. Then Sony now Samsung. I'm sure not going to worry if I preserve my Aw 1500 at this point.